5 California cities are among happiest in America, new study says. Which ones?
Does where you live determine your happiness?
According to a new report by SmartAsset, several of the happiest cities in the nation are in California.
The financial data website identified the places where Americans are happiest in 2025 by ranking 90 of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States based on personal finance, physical well-being and quality of life.
A total of five California cities ranked among the top 20, SmartAsset said.
“Research ties higher incomes and lower poverty rates to higher levels of happiness,” SmartAsset director of economic analysis Jaclyn DeJohn wrote in a March 26 article. “Similarly, life expectancy and marriage rates can be revealing indicators about a community’s propensity for happiness.”
Which California cities are the happiest?
San Jose was No. 5 overall in the SmartAsset study, marking it the top-ranked California city on the list.
The Silicon Valley city boasted the second-most “days with good mental health” in the nation, SmartAsset said.
About 62.2% of households in San Jose earn at least $100,000 annually, the third-highest percentage among cities profiled in the study.
San Jose residents had the second-longest life expectancy in the country at 83.8 years.
Fremont, ranked No. 7 overall by SmartAsset, scored high in several categories.
It was No. 1 in the United States in terms of the percentage of households earning $100,000 annually at 71.9%, and No. 4 among cities with the highest life expectancy. Residents live 82 years on average.
San Francisco, which ranked fifth among households with residents earning at least $100,000 a year, was placed at No. 13 overall by SmartAsset.
Chula Vista was No. 16 on the SmartAsset list. It had the fourth-highest marriage rate in the nation at 50.5%, according to the study.
Irvine ranked No. 20, SmartAsset said, noting that residents there have an average life expectancy of 81.3 years and a 49.7% marriage rate.
SmartAsset isn’t the only personal finance website analyzing happiness rates across the United States.
In March, WalletHub released its 2025 list of the Happiest Cities in America, comparing 182 of the largest cities in the nation based on factors including income, employment and emotional and physical well-being.
Fremont was No. 1 on WalletHub’s list, followed by San Jose in second place and Irvine in third.
What are the happiest cities in the US?
These were the top 10 happiest cities in the United States, according to SmartAsset:
- Plano, Texas
- Arlington, Virginia
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Seattle
- San Jose
- Boise City, Idaho
- Fremont
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- Durham, North Carolina
- Anchorage, Alaska
How did SmartAsset come up with its findings?
SmartAsset evaluated 90 of the largest U.S. cities across three categories: personal finance, well-being and quality of life.
The website also ranked cities on 11 metrics measuring overall happiness, including:
- Percent of individuals earnings $100,000 or more
- Percent of households that spend 50% or more of income on housing
- Percent of residents below the poverty level
- Average number of mentally unhealthy days in the past 30 days
- Life expectancy in years
- Percent of residents who report being physically inactive
- Percent of residents who have health insurance
- Marriage rate
- Average traffic volume per meter of major roadways
- Percent of population with adequate access to locations for physical activity
- Percentage of households with overcrowding
SmartAsset used data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 1-Year American Community Survey for 2023 and the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps for 2024.
This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "5 California cities are among happiest in America, new study says. Which ones?."